Exports Build Strongly at Ports of LA-LB

November container volume at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach indicate exports are building strongly while imports, though down compared to recent months, are still running at double-digits ahead of last year.

November was the peak month of the year in Los Angeles for exports. Exports were 14.2 percent higher than in November of 2009.

Exports in Long Beach were up 24.8 percent from the same month last year. November was the second busiest month of 2010 after October.

By The Numbers: U.S. Foreign Trade.

Industry analysts project that the coming winter months will see record U.S. exports. A weak dollar, booming economies in Asia and crop issues in some nations that compete with the U.S. in agricultural exports indicate shipments will be unusually strong for the next four to five months.

Containerized imports in November were down from the peak months in late summer and early fall, but are up noticeably from the recession year of 2009. Imports in Long Beach increased 20.2 percent compared to November 2009, and imports in Los Angeles were 11.7 percent higher than last November.

Both ports continue to show double-digit gains in total cargo volumes year-to-date compared to 2009. Import, export and empty container shipments year-to-date in Long Beach through November are up 24.8 percent, while Los Angeles is up 16.7 percent.

Port authorities, shipping executives and industry analysts across the country had predicted that the double-digit growth experienced earlier in the year would give way to single-digit growth in the second half of the year, but that has proven not to be the case.